


Are Crocs a Personality Trait?

by Distantsaber



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo Lives, College AU, F/M, Fluffy, Fun times with friends, Gen, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Sweet, a little self-indulgent, ben is so cute in this, ben solo is so awkward, but crocs ARE a personality trait, but so sweet, happiness will hit her, i miss my friends, ive been down and this story is my outlet, living vicariously through this, lots of feelings being dealt with, modern college au, rey has no family, rey wears crocs, reylo au, rose and finn are siblings by adoption, she finds her place, she loves green bc she never saw it before takodana, the summary is bad but idc, this is for fun so the title sucks, this is my escape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24547723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Distantsaber/pseuds/Distantsaber
Summary: In which Rey makes friends, finds family, and discovers that sometimes its ok to shut up about the fact that you wear crocs.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 16
Kudos: 25





	1. I hate it here

_What ever made me do this?_ Rey wonders to herself, her arms aching with the weight of duffel bags hanging from her shoulders. She wanders through the doorway and into the small room, eyeing two raised beds on opposite walls from each other and the lone sink in the corner. A nightstand stands between the two beds, under a small window. _I didn’t think the dorms would look so much like prison cells._

Rey notices one bed already covered in bright blue, a single suitcase set on the top. She takes a deep breath, suddenly shaken by the thought of a roommate. Rey throws her things on the open bed, taking another look around the room. A wardrobe was next to the sink, the presence of which Rey was still yet to comprehend. With a sigh, she remembers the restrooms that the entire floor would share. Dizzy at the thought of so many people, she sits on her bed, having to jump to even settle herself on it. 

_Is this all really worth getting a degree?_ Rey rolls her eyes at her own thought. It was all her fault she was here, anyway.

“Oh you finally showed up!” Rey nearly falls off the bed at the voice, her eyes shifting to the door, where a young man stood. A bright smile cut through his umber skin and his brown eyes sparkled. He sticks out his hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Finn.”

Rey shakes his hand, and begins to relax. “You’re my roommate?” 

Finn laughs. “Funny…” he raises an eyebrow and Rey realizes she hasn’t even told him her name yet.

“Rey.”

He bobs his head. “Funny, Rey. They don’t do co-ed rooms here.” Rey nods, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment. “But if you’re that desperate to get to know me, my dorm is down the hall.” Rey smiles with a small chuckle, and Finn seems satisfied with that.

“So why are you in my dorm?”

“I know your roomie, she wanted me to check if you showed up yet.” He smiles. “She’s a freshie too, dangerously excited for her ‘first roommate’,” he scoffs. “Like we haven’t spent every summer in a cabin together for the last 19 years.”

Finn must have seen the quizzical expression on Rey’s face.

“She’s my sister.” He elaborates, his eyes falling to the carpet beneath them. “C’mon, you should come meet her.”

Rey looks back at her bags. _I guess they can always be unpacked later._ She follows Finn out the door and down the hall, her eyes glancing from dorm to dorm, watching families help their teenagers move in. An ache rose in her chest as she watched them hug each other and take pictures. _What I’d give to have that…_

“Oh my STARS!” Rey’s knocked out of her mind violently as the screech hits her ears. 

“Rey,” Finn says in an exasperated tone, “This is my sister, Rose.”

Rey could tell by the excited first impression that they were related, but that's about where the similarities ended. In front of her stands a short girl, midnight hair falling to her shoulders and bangs cut just short of golden eyes. Her lips match the pink that highlights her tawny cheeks, and of course, a grin adorns her round face.

“So nice to meet you, Rey!” She exclaimed excitedly, sticking her hand out with such a force that Rey nearly jumps back. “Are you ready for this? A new adventure?”

Rey shakes her hand and can’t help but smile. Rose’s excitement for the year to follow was contagious, and Rey envied the optimism. She welcomed the energy, letting it seep into her skin like rays of sun.

“Nice to meet you too.” Her eyes flash between the two of them. “Have you had the chance to look around yet?”

“Oh, yeah,” Finn replies. “Rose was so excited, we’ve explored basically all day.” 

“Why, do you want a tour?” Rose interjects, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Yeah, actually.” Rose’s eyes lit up even brighter than before. 

“C’mon then, you guys!”

Rey followed Finn and Rose out of the building, surprised to find even more vehicles and families outside than there had been when she’d arrived. Eyes glued to the scene before her, she nearly missed the wave of an excited Rose, gesturing for her to walk faster.

The campus was surprisingly beautiful, the trees and gardens that surround them still lingering onto the last warmth of summer. Blooming, and bright, at least until fall rears its head. Rey’s mouth twists as she ponders the similarities between the student life and the flora around her. 

“Don’t look so sour, Rey, the rallies aren’t mandatory.” Finn whispers.

Rey blinks. “What?” She saw Finn raise a questioning eyebrow and realizes she caught the tail end of whatever conversation she had zoned out of. “Oh,” She nods. “Not mandatory. Got it.”

“We would be here all night if we went through the whole campus,” Rose explains as the trio stops in front of a large beige hall. “But with a map and a few friends, I’m sure we’re all set for finding our classes.”

“Thank you for showing me some of the campus, Rose.” Rey thanks her. 

“Hey, no problem.” She giggles. “I’m glad to have someone to show it to.”

\---

College life wasn’t as bad as Rey had expected it to be, and she credited all of it to the fact that for once in her life, she was surrounded by people who cared. She had her ‘people’, as Finn had once called it. She’d clung to the phrase ever since. _My people…_

“Rey, Rey, I love you but you gotta get your lazy-” Rey startles awake, her wide eyes falling on Rose, who held her comforter in her hands. “Get up, we have our psych presentation today!”

Rey blinks the sleep from her eyes and flips her phone over, her heart sinking into her stomach as the date on the screen hits her. _Why did I ever sign up for morning classes?_ She swears under her breath as she jumps from her bed, pulling on her forest green crocs and not even bothering to change out of her pajamas.

“Hurry, hurry.” Rose reminds her. Rey nods silently, swishing a bit of mouthwash as she grabs her book bag. She spits in the sink as Rose opens the door. Rey scurries through and chases Rose down the hall.

“You shouldn’t have waited for me,” Rey reprimands Rose. “You could have made it.”

Rose shook her head with a dry laugh. “You’re assuming I didn’t sleep in too.”

She smiled back at Rey and she felt a surge of warmth in her chest. _Is this what friends are like?_ She chuckles to herself.

“Where _were_ you?” Finn hissed at the girls as they snuck into the chairs beside him. Rey once again found comfort in being invisible, as the professor didn’t even so much as blink when the doors had closed behind her and Rose.

“Overslept. Did we miss anything?” Rose answers.

“The usual,” Finn snorts. “Nothing.”

Relief flooded over both of the girls faces and Finn held back a laugh. 

“Now, I know you’re all eager to present your findings and research that you’ve worked so very hard on these past few weeks-” silence passed through the aisles of students as the professor spoke. “And we will get to that. But first, I wanted to go ahead and introduce your next assignment.”

A chorus of groans echoed through the hall. 

“I know, you’re all so ecstatic. This is a group natural experiment project, and the groups have already been decided upon for you. For sake of what this project entails, your partners are only to be known to you, until it is obviously impossible to keep it that way. Expect your partner’s name to be sent to your student email address.”

The professor drones on, and Rey turns to Rose and Finn.

“I didn’t see this on the syllabus,” She whispers harshly.

“Typical Professor Organa, so I’ve heard,” Finn sighs. “I was hoping all the people who complained about her on twitter were just wimps.”

“Guess I’m a wimp then,” Rose says as she slumps in her chair. “Is a month into the school year too early to drop out?”

Finn elbows his sister and Rey can’t help but ask herself the same question. 

  
  


\--

  
  


Rey sat on her bed staring at the white ceiling of her dorm, trying to ignore the dread that was creeping into her chest. She had found ‘her people’, and she was fine if she never interacted with strangers again. _You can’t live like that, Rey._ She reminds herself, squeezing her eyes shut. _You’re a whole adult, with a whole life and a whole college career. Yet, you don’t want to meet anybody new?_

_Why do you have to be so afraid of change?_

Rey grabs her phone and book bag, and bolts from her dorm. 

She walks through the golden hour of sunset, toward the creek at the edge of the campus. Many students were scattered in the last glimpses of daylight, studying, pouring over books and notes in the grassy areas. Rey sights a boulder by the water and places her bag on the grass beside it. She sits on the flat stone and sticks her crocs into the bubbling creek, letting the coolness of the water wash over the shoes and weave between her toes. 

With a sigh, she lets her eyes close. In all of the newness of her situation, she needed a reminder of the things that will _never_ change. The stillness of air near nightfall, the breeze of fall invading the glimmer of summer.. the-

“Your bag is getting wet.”

Rey jumps, catching herself as she slipped down the boulder slightly, but not fast enough to prevent her cuffed jeans from getting soaked. Irritated, she stands and whips her head toward the direction of the voice, staring straight up at a giant. He just watches her, and she blushes when she realizes that yes, she is still wading in the creek like a child.

“Thanks,” She says quietly, reaching for her book bag. He had been right; it was wet. _Must’ve fallen in...that makes two of us._ She hung the bag off her shoulder and met the man’s eyes, sloshing her way out of the water.

“You’re a freshman, huh?” He teases. Rey doesn’t miss it, either. She scowls.

“Is it that obvious?” 

He shrugs his broad shoulders, a smirk playing on his lips. Rey rolls her eyes, taking a few steps back towards the dry grass.

“What was it, the jumpiness or the bag?” She joked back.

“The crocs.” He quips, and stares pointedly at the green that adorns her feet. Rey blushes all over again, looking down at her shoes.

“Well better than whatever the heck you call that,” She gestures up and down, to the entirely black outfit he’s wearing. “What’s your major, ‘ _My Chemical Romance_ ’?”

He chuckles, running his hands through his wavy hair (which was also pitch black). Rey stands still. _Oh stars, why are the cute ones all cocky a-holes?_ His umber eyes meet hers and he sticks out his hand.

“Hang on,” Rey starts. “You’re ignoring the fact that I had a really good comeback.”

“No,” he counters. “I’m shaking your hand.” 

Rey ignores whatever she sees flicker through his eyes, and takes his hand.

“I’m Ben. Ben solo.”

“Rey.” She replies curtly. “Anyone ever told you that you’re kind of a jerk?”

He nods once, his eyes looking toward the setting sun. “A few times. Anyone told you that you’re a clutz?”

“Never.”

“Huh,” Ben chuckles, stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning away. “Well, you are.” 


	2. I hate group projects

Rey glances up from her laptop, at Rose, who sat in a similar position across the room. They’d both been like this for hours; hunched over laptops, cross-legged, and anxious. Wordless exchanges, mere looks from one girl to the other, told Rey that they were both doing the same thing; constantly reloading their inboxes.

“I swear on my life, if my partner is one of those stuck-up lacrosse players that’s always hooting during the lectures…” Rose trails off, and Rey can almost hear her scream through a closed mouth. 

“This isn’t high school anymore, Rose. I’m sure lacrosse players are the least of your worries.” Rey jokes. 

“Your high school obviously never had them.” Rose counters. Rey shrugs at the response. 

A few more moments of silence pass between the two.

“Oh my STARS, REY!” Rose catapults herself off of her bed and onto Reys, nearly bowling her over. “It’s here.”

“Calm down, Rose, I’m sure its just like any other project.” She says, although mostly to calm her own nerves. What kind of project demanded this much secrecy? “I got mine too, see?”

The girls share a look and then both click on their respective emails.

‘ _ Rey, _

_ The project you have been assigned is to observe behavior of students on campus when confronted with an object that is seemingly neutral. You have been given the liberty to choose a. How many students are to be interviewed, b. What the object is, and c. what characteristics of your interviewees are of importance to your research. _

_ Remember to keep in mind the different variables that this type of experiment contains, and the experimenter effects that also come along with it.  _

_ More instructions and an essay prompt are to follow. Your partner for this project is sophomore Ben Solo.’ _

  
  


“Rey, this is so much worse than I expected.” Rose says after a while. Rey nods silently. ‘ _ Yeah, it is.’ _

“I got a football player.” She groans, falling back on Rey’s bed. “A football player! He’s probably stupid, and is gonna make me do all the work, because im smart…”

“Rose,” Rey rolls her eyes around. “Who is it?”

“Only if you tell me yours first.” Rose suddenly shot straight up, a wicked smile on her face.

“Ben Solo. He’s a sophomore, I guess.” Rey says, the memory of yesterday evening coming to the forefront of her mind. 

“Oh, I’ve seen him around before. He’s kinda quiet, huh?”

Rey shrugs. “Only met him once.” 

‘ _ Didn’t seem quiet’  _ she wanted to retort, but held her tongue. 

“Well…” Rose wiggles where she is sat. “I got Poe Dameron.”

Rey jumps from the bed. “Hang on,” She spun around. “Poe Dameron? The guy who practically carries our entire football team on his back?”

Rose nods slowly. “Should I be excited to be working with a football player? They aren’t typically known for their brains, y’know.”

“You’re not wrong,” Rey laughs. “But at least you got someone cool.”

“What good is ‘cool’ if it doesn’t help me pass?”

Rey agrees with what she’s saying, but can’t bring herself to say it. 

“You have something against this Solo guy?” Rose inquires. A mischieveous look suddenly passes over her usually sweet-looking smile. “A crush, maybe?”

Rey rolls her eyes and shoves Rose’s shoulder. Rose giggles in reply.

“Like I said, I’ve only met him once,” Rey reiterates. “And I wasn’t impressed by the exchange that followed.”

Rose hummed slowly. “Sure you weren’t.”

“Rose Tico, I swear--”

“Joking, I’m joking.”

The conversation was interrupted by the buzzing of Rey’s smartphone. She leaned over Rose to pick it up from the nightstand.

The screen illuminates in her hand to reveal a message from an unrecognized number. ‘ _ Hey partner _ .’ is all it read.

Rey sighs and Rose grabs the phone from her hand. She doesn’t put up a fight. “Oh, it’s him!”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure yours will hit you up soon enough.”

  
  
  
  


\--

“So who did you get?” 

The topic came up that day, after Rey and Finn had finally decided where they wanted to get dinner. Taco Bell, as per Rose’s request. 

“Some chick named Mallory.” Finn answers with a shrug, as the pair walk across campus with the bags of food. He brought up one hand and took a sip of his green slush. “She better like  _ baja blasts,  _ cuz you bet I’m not getting through this without them.”

“Yeah,” Rey trails off. “You talked with her yet?”

“Not much,” He says nonchalantly. “Why, you talked with yours?

“Not a lot,” Rey confesses. “Last time we talked, he bullied my crocs.”

Finn gasps dramatically. “No, not the crocs!” He exclaims. “What’s next, your overalls? Those 3 buns you wear all the time?” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe he’s bullying a  _ college student _ for dressing like that.”

“Hey!” Rey slaps his shoulder. “You said it looked good!”

“It does,” He laughs. “It does, I promise. I’m messing.” he put a hand on her shoulder gently. “Not to mention, he did text you first, right? Maybe he isn’t as stuck-up as you seem to think.”

Rey shrugs. “You’re right. I’m being kinda extreme, huh?”

Finn nods after a second, and they both laugh. 

Rey looks down at her phone as they walk and hurriedly types out her reply to Ben’s message. ‘ _ Hey. Wanna meet up to talk about the project?’ _

That night, the trio enjoys burritos and tacos in the comfort of Rey’s dorm. ‘ _ Clue’  _ is sprawled out on the floor between where they all sat, relatively untouched. Rose rolls around the dorm in fits of laughter, as Finn presents his theory on why his roommate is ‘most definitely a vampire’. 

“Hang on, hang on,” Rey interrupts breathlessly, half of a taco in her grasp. “Why is he taking morning classes if he is nocturnal? You’d think he would use his instincts to his advantage!”

“Camoflouge!” Finn exclaims, throwing his hands into the air. “What sane, completely human student, would ever take evening classes?”

“A lot of people, Finn.” Rose quips.

“People with jobs, maybe families?” Rey adds, and Rose gives a large nod in agreement.

Finn rolls his eyes around, slurping up the rest of his  _ Baja Blast. “ _ You’re missing my point-”

A knock at the door interrupts the thought. “Door is always open!” Rose yells out, before Rey can slap a hand over her mouth.

“Rose, I’ve told you to at least check the peephole first.” Rey hisses, but Rose ignores it.

The door creaks open and Rose smiles up at the man that walks in.

“Poe! So glad you could make it.”

Finn and Rey both look at Rose like she’d gone crazy. “What?” She asks with a smirk. “I wanted you guys to meet my new friend.”

“Friend? Didn’t you just meet today?” Finn inquires with a frown.

“And?”

Poe clears his throat and offers a shy smile to Finn. “Hey, Finn, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you.” he turns to Rey. “You too, uh…”

“Rey.” She says flatly.

“Rey. Nice name.”

Rose gestures for Poe to join them on the floor and Rey takes the moment to study him. He doesn’t look like any football players she had seen before, and that was good. He had a nice smile, good hair, sweet demeanor; at first glance, Rey could understand how he and Rose got along so well so quickly. 

“Thanks for inviting me over, Rose. I heard there were tacos?” He glances over to Finn. “and Baja Blasts?”

Finn immediately perked up. “You like them too?”

“Who doesnt?”

Finn and Rey both shot glares toward Rose. 

“Ah…” Poe says, realizing. He chuckles, a warm and soothing sound. “Well then, guess we have a common mission then, huh? Get Rose’s tastebuds working again.”

They all laugh together, and Rey lets the sound wash over her.

The night passes quickly; too quickly for Rey’s liking. Soon curfew is nearing and they shuffle the boys out of the dorm before the RA can pass by. 

“Thanks for joining us, Poe.” Rose thanks him. He smirks as he walks toward the door. 

“Hope I can do it again sometime.”

“Of course.” Rey says, with a grin. “Maybe next time, we can hang out off campus. Y’know, since you’re the only one here allowed to have a vehicle.”

“Hey, you guys get jobs off campus like I do and that wouldn’t be the case.”

Finn playfully pushes Poe out the door, and after hugging his sister and Rey, follows the amber-eyed Poe down the hall.

“Oh my stars, Rey… Hes awesome!” Rose exclaims, jumping onto her bed. “I think I might enjoy a psych project for once!”

Rey smiles at her friend as she climbs under her own covers. She sighs as she relaxes.

“Yeah, he is pretty sweet.”

She tries to ignore the pang of jealousy in her chest. She glances at her phone before charging it for the night. She sighs at the blank lock screen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading guys! This is my space to get creative and not judge myself for any of my dumb ideas, but I still appreciate feedback! pls let me know if you like it, it keeps me motivated:)


	3. I hate awkward meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo is 1) awkward 2) believes in mothman and 3) needs to calm down.

Rey woke up the next morning to the sound of an alarm she never set. She hurriedly grabs her phone from the nightstand, vision still blurry with last night’s dreams, and cringes as the charger unplugs from the wall and hits the floor. Rey taps the green button on the homescreen, certain the alarm had been shut off now. She lays the phone by her pillow and collapses back into her blankets.

“Hello?”

Her eyes snap open and she snatches the phone. It wasn’t an alarm, at all. It was a phonecall.

“Hello?” She replies, her voice still groggy.

There was the sound of static for a few seconds, and then, “Did you just wake up?”

“Who is this?”

“Ben,” He answers curtly. “You know its almost noon, right?” Rey glances at the clock by Rose’s small desk across the room. He was right. 

“You know its a saturday, right?” She cuts back snarkily. 

“And? We’ve got a project due in a few weeks.”

“You’re the one who didn’t reply back to my message.” She reminds him. “Don’t get all upset with me, when you’re the one who isn’t communicating.”

“I texted you back this morning, Rey. You didn’t reply and I was getting impatient.”

Rey feels her cheeks flush, ashamed by her sudden hostility. She peels back her covers to get out of bed. “Okay,” She huffs. “‘Sorry.”

“It’s fine. We can meet at Starbucks, if you want. The one by the basketball stadium.” 

“Okay, yeah, sure.” She agrees. 

“Alright,” He’s quiet for a moment and Rey props the phone up with her shoulder as she gets dressed. “See you in 30.”

“Alright.” She hangs up before he can say anything else and silently curses herself. Could she have made it anymore awkward? Why was he so… weird?

She makes a face as she pulls her crocs on, suddenly remembering what Finn had joked about her style. What kind of snarky comments would she recieve this time? She has buns in her hair, ripped up mom jeans, and those green crocs on again. She sighs at her reflection. It’s good enough for her, why is she worried of what anyone else thinks of it?

The walk to the campus Starbucks is easy, although Rey is halfway to her destination when she realizes she left her book bag at the dorm. She decides not to go back for it.

She steps in and the smell of coffee rushes over her. Rey can’t help but smile. Thats the one thing she knew she’d enjoy about college; the normalization of extreme caffeine addictions.

Rey glances around and finds Ben at a table in the corner of the store, a book opened in front of him. She walks right over and takes the open seat.

“Good morning.” She greets him, forcing a smile. He looks up.

“Good afternoon.” He corrects, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. “Did you order yet?”

“No, I didn’t think this would take very long…” Rey explains, trailing off as Ben began to pull things from his backpack. A notebook and a bag of pencils landed on the table between them. ‘ _ Should have brought mine.’ _

“Do we even know what our project is supposed to be on yet?” Rey reminds him, as he flips open his notebook to an empty page.

“Well, most of it is up to us to decide… but other than the initial partner announcement,” Ben shrugs. “The Professor hasn’t sent anything out yet.” He scribbles something on the page, then looks to Rey. “I thought we could learn a little bit about each other before we started.”

Rey lifts an eyebrow at him.”What?”

“No harm in getting to know your partner a little better, right? I mean, it might alleviate some of the awkwardness.” He explains further. He spins the pen around with his fingers.

“I didn’t say it was awkward.”

“You didn’t have to,” Ben chuckles. “It’s obvious.” 

Rey shifts uncomfortably in her chair, eyes darting to anywhere except his smug face.

“Besides, theres more to me than being an anti-croc activist.” Ben jokes. Rey looks back toward him, and sees his smirk dissolved into a soft smile. “I didn’t exactly make a good first impression.”

“You didn’t have any reason to.” Rey adds. Ben shrugs, flipping the notebook around and sliding it toward Rey. She lifts it tentatively and reads the scrawl.

On it were loads of questions, some true or false, some essay, others hastily scratched out and written over. All were already answered in blue ink, with a blank spot next to the answers.

“Those blue ones are mine,” Ben explains. He hands her a red pen. “The spots next to them are for yours.”

Rey laughs, looking from the paper to Ben and back again. His face is still. “Seriously? You want me to answer these like this?”

“I just need the records so I don’t forget. You’re welcome to just tell me.”

Rey sat there, dumbfounded, for a moment. Was he really quizzing her?

“You do this with all your new friends?”

“I don’t really have friends,” He says with a wave of his hand. With a sigh, he adds, “Listen, if you don’t want to-”

“No, “ Rey interrupts, suddenly feeling bad for the way she reacted. “I’ll do it, just-” She laughs dryly. “Maybe you should lay off on the quizzes next time you wanna learn about someone. Most people would appreciate if you just asked during conversation.”

She lowered her gaze back down to the paper. “Okay…’What is your favorite color?’.” She glanced at Ben, who sat still and had leaned forward oh-so-slightly. She cleared her throat. “It’s green,” She says. “I see you put yours is ‘black’. That’s…”

“If you say quirky, so help me God, I will-”

“No, no-” Rey laughs, putting her palm down on the table surface. “It’s fine.” Ben sighs.

“This was a bad idea.”

“Next question, hm… ‘What’s your major?’. Good one.” Rey kept on, ignoring Ben’s obvious protests. She was enjoying this a little more than she expected. It felt like revenge for his attack on her crocs. “Undecided. I see yours is...also undecided.”

“Really? I thought for sure I put ‘Angsty teen bands’.”

Rey caught his mischievous smirk for just a moment, and kept reading. 

Rey was unsure of how much time had passed when she reached the last question on the page, but the sun was setting and she could barely hold in her laughter. 

“Why does this question just assume every college student has some kind of knowledge of cryptids? Why do I have to have a belief in one?” She laughs as Ben tears the notebook from her hands.

“Listen, “ He slams the book on the table. “I told you, whether it’s conscious or not, everyone has an opinion on them, and most people have some degree of belief in one.”

“Okay, ‘MothmanLover420’.” 

“Rey, all I said was there is enough evidence to prove he has the resources available in the environment to exist, not that he actually does!” 

“The fact that you’re actually defending yourself here is what concerns me.”

“Just admit it,” Ben starts as he zips up his backpack. “You have something you believe in that makes others think you’re nuts.”

“Not eating Taco Bell every night for dinner.”

Ben rolls his eyes lightheartedly and gets up from the table. “If you ever decide to change your answer, text me.”

Rey stands, too, suddenly realizing the time. “Yeah, yeah, I will.” She says absentmindedly.

“And Rey,” She looks up at him, his brown eyes glowing in the golden sunset that beamed through the coffeehouse windows. “That was kinda fun.”

“Yeah,” She agrees. “Thanks for not bullying me.” Rey adds with a playful nudge.

“I would say my pleasure but it wasn’t.” He remarks with a chuckle. “See you around.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me this made you laugh as much as it made me laugh at 2 am the morning I first drafted it. Also, thanks for reading. Stay safe out there.


	4. I hate group chats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> group chats suck, but you know what else sucks? parties.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was initially supposed to be 2 separate chapters, but after some editing and slamming my head against the keyboard, I decided to delete some junk and merge them. hope u enjoy:)

“Rey, I have to talk to you.”

Rey looks up from the straw wrapper she was attempting to tie into a knot. She put her feet up on the dash of the parked ‘05 CR-V and grabs her iced coffee from the cup holder. For a moment, she wondered if Poe would be mad if he knew she had her feet on the dash of his car… then decided what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

“What’s up?” She asks with a slurp. Finn shrugs nonchalantly, glancing out the windshield. 

“Not much, I guess…” His expression suddenly turns mischievous. “Just that you went on a date with someone a couple days ago and _never_ told me!” He shouts, followed by a laugh. He shoves Rey’s shoulder.

Rey nearly spits out her coffee, spluttering all over the dash board. “What?”

“How long have you had a thing with him?” Finn inquires, leaning his chin on his fist.

“Who?” Rey counters, her face twisted with confusion. “If I’ve been on a date, please tell me because apparently I don’t remember!”

Finn’s hand slaps over his mouth then, as he gazes at the floor mats. “Oh Rey, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it wasn’t-”

“I still have no idea who you’re-”

“You and Solo, at Starbucks on Tuesday…?”

“Oh…” Rey nods her head, sipping at the cold drink in her hand. “That was just a get-together, uh, for the project.”

Finn eyes her suspiciously. “You’re sure?”

Rey nods once. “Definitely.” She says decisively. “It was painful, awkward, a little bit of fun, not gonna lie- but mostly awkward-”

“Sounds like a date.” Finn interjects. Rey glares at him, and he throws his hands up defensively.

“I’m just saying, don’t rule anything out.”

“Too bad.”

Finn sighs, and the two sit in a comfortable silence until they’re both slurping at the bottoms of plastic cups.

“Y’know, Rey, I’m really glad to have met you.”

Rey smiles. “Me too.” She chuckles to herself. “You, and Rose...and Poe, now that I think of it… You guys are like... my family.”

“I’m honored.” Finn says, jokingly bowing. 

“I’m serious,” Rey slaps his arm and they laugh together. “I didn’t want to come here,” she gestures to the world outside of the CR-V. “But now I’m really happy I did.”

Finn grins. “It’s gonna be hard going home for the holidays, huh?”

Rey’s face fell, and she turns to hide it from him. “I don’t… have a home to go back to..”

“Oh…”

Rey stuffs a strand of hair back into her bun. “Don’t worry about it… It’ll be ok.”

“Well,” Finn sighs, putting a warm hand on her shoulder. “Rose and I are glad you’re here, anyway. Having you is like, adopting another sibling.”

“Were you…?”

“Adopted?”

Rey nods.

“Well, not really. Rose and I were thrown around different foster homes quite a bit, we became friends and kinda adopted each other.” He chuckles at the memory. “Aged out of the foster system together, and we consider ourselves siblings. It’s been that way since we were young...We’re glad to add you into the mix.”

  
  


\--

Rey had barely walked into her dorm when she was met with a deafening screech. 

“Rey, oh my STARS, Rey.” Rose shouts, as Rey slowly closes the door.

“What are you-”

“Rey, Don’t freak out-” Rose starts as she crosses the room. 

“I wasn’t until you started _yelling!_ ” Rey counters, throwing her arms up into the air. Rose takes a step back, and Rey suddenly realizes that there is excitement on her face, not shock.

“Everything is fine, isn’t it?” Rey asks flatly.

Rose grins, jumping up and down. “It’s more than fine, Rey! It’s _amazing_!”

Rey watches quietly as Rose spins and then throws herself onto her mattress. She sighs loudly, clutching her cellphone to her chest.

“You gonna tell me, or…?” Rey starts to kick her crocs off as Rose takes a deep breath.

“I have a date on Friday.”

Rey’s backpack plummets to the floor. “You _what_?” She can’t help the smile that breaks out on her face. “Rose, that’s awesome!” She jumps onto her friend’s bed as Rose sits up and scrolls on her phone.

“Hang on, I gotta show you the messages…”

Rey places her hand on Rose’s for a moment. “Who is it?”

Rose turns her star-filled gaze to her friend and Rey swears she almost sees her pulse in her pupils. “Poe…”

Rey tries not to let her surprise show on her face. “Poe? Dameron?”

“Yeah, isn’t that great!”

Rey just nods slowly. “Yeah, I’m happy for you…” She struggles to find the right words. “Do you… Like him?”

Rose shakes her head. “Not like that, but I’m not turning down the chance for a fun time! If it goes badly, I can just hit him with ‘Hey, I enjoyed hanging out tonight, _pal_.’. That works, right?”

“Oh. You’re evil.”

“I mean, hey, “ She stands up and bounces twice on her mattress. “It might work out, but if not, that’s fine! I haven’t gone on a date in years so whatever happens, I’m excited!”

Rey nods, thinking about how long its been since she has been on a date herself.

“I heard about you and Solo, by the way. Sorry about that. I tried to tell Finn it wasn’t like that, but in the end, he didn’t believe me.”

Rey scoffs. “It doesn’t matter. It happens. I’m ready to get this project over with, though.”

“You and me both.”

**\----**

Rey always hated the sound of ringtones, only now, the sound of the one she hated was her own. Even worse than the sounds, though, were the _buzzes._ It was constant, in her pocket, on the desk, even in the lecture hall. She could have put her phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’, sure, but then she’d be bombarded with Rose’s incessant worrying as to why she wasn’t even _reading_ the messages.

Rey kinda hated herself for being annoyed; Rose was just being her kind and outgoing self…

When her last class of the day got out, Rey fished her phone from her pocket and opened her messages. She shouldered her book bag higher and got herself caught up as she went along. 

_Tico & Co. (27) _

_Finn : ignore the group chat, she’s going on about some party_

_Rose (2)_

_Ben (4)_

Rey checks Ben’s messages first, knowing that the others were undoubtedly linked together and would take the better part of an hour to read and respond to. 

_Ben Solo:_

_(2:15) Hey._

_(2:25) Are you in class?_

_(2:30) I have an idea for the project. It involves your /lovely/ crocs. haha._

_(2:31)) Get back to me when you can._

_Crocs?_ She laughs aloud at the message. Was he just _so_ intrigued by the fact that she wore ugly shoes that he felt obligated to patronize her even _further_ by making them the subject of their project? Rey glances down at the green plastic she donned on her feet. With a huff, she looked back to the sidewalk she was headed down. She quickly types out her reply.

_Ur treating my shoes like theyre my only personality trait (5:12)_

_Ben Solo:_

_(5:14) My bad, I thought they were._

_(5:14) At least you have a personality._

_Ur implying u dont, right? (5:15)_

_Ben Solo:_

_(5:15) Oh, no, I do. But no one else I’ve met here seems to have one._

_(5:16) Anyway. This kinda brings me back to what I wanted to talk to you about. But my thumbs are getting tired. Can I call you?_

_Boohoo poor thumbs. Gimme a min. (5:17)_

Rey taps out of that conversation and to the “ _Tico & Co. _” group chat. She scrolls to the top of the page, (refreshing multiple times) and finds the beginning of the conversation.

She is mentally- and physically, Ben wasn’t lying about thumb pain- exhausted by the time she finishes reading and responding. Rose was going off about some party, just as Finn had warned her. Rey couldn’t help but be surprised though; apparently the ‘date’ Poe had invited Rose on was actually a party being held by a lake.

Everyone was invited, too.

_Tico & Co _

_Rose:_

_(4:45) ngl, i’m a little disapointed, but mostly just glad that I don’t have to worry about what to wear now._

_(4:46) I mean he’s cute but idk if I could sit through a whole dinner knowing I was just gonna tell him we’re just friends at the end._

_Finn:_

_(4:50) Sounds like he took care of that for you. No one takes people on first dates to parties at some rich guy’s lake house._

_(4:55) actually scratch that, if someone invited me to a first date at some rich guys lake house i’d marry them on the spot_

_Rose:_

_(4:57) oh yeah he invited you and Rey too_

_(4:59) double date?? Oooohhhh_

  
  


_Finn:_

_(5:00) where are you, i’m gonna strangle you_

_(5:05) i literally just told her we adopted her into our family yesterday rose_

  
  


_Rose:_

_(5:07) it was A JOKE_

_(5:10) besides, i’m pretty sure half the school was invited_

_Finn:_

_(5:11) this isn’t high school anymore, that’s not how it works_

_Rose:_

_(5:12) i know, it didn’t work like that then either. Point still stands tho, word is spreading fast and idek if poe had the authority to invite us in the first place._

_(5:15) i stg if rey doesn’t pick up her phone i’m trashing the dorm_

_Finn:_

_(5:16) she isn’t missing anything important_

_(5:17) when is this party anyway?_

_If i fail biology its your fault, jerks. (5:17)_

_Rose:_

_(5:18) REY_

_(5:18) I HOPE YOU HAVE A SWIMSUIT_

_ROSE ITS THE MIDDLE OF FALL (5:18)_

_Rose:_

_(5:19) WE LIVE IN HELL ITS ALWAYS HOT_

_(5:20) not to mention hot tubs exist?? And wetsuits?? Whats up with you_

_(5:21) just say youre coming_

_I don’t have a date I can’t go (5:22)_

_Finn:_

_(5:23) You don’t have to have a date_

_Rose:_

_(5:25) yeah and my date doesn’t really count._

_(5:26) please? We’ll go get baja blasts and coffee after!_

_(5:26) And if it sucks, you never have to have fun with us again_

Rey throws her head back and sighs loudly. _Nobody told me friends could be such pains._ She takes a deep breath.

_Fine, I’ll go. But if i so much as smell a guy trying to talk to me…(5:27)_

_Finn:_

_(5:28) dude, rose literally carries pepper spray and a taser with her_

_(5:28) everywhere._

_(5:29) also i have fists._

_\--_

“Hello?”

“Hey. You wanted to talk?”

Rey sat on her bed in the dorm, after dark. Rose was passed out on the other side of the room, the sound of her lofi music still calmly reverberating through the otherwise eerily silent room. She listens to the sound of breathing on the other end of the call for a moment.

“Uh… yeah. It’s been a couple hours.”

“Yeah I go to college.” She replies curtly. “What was your idea?”

She hears Ben rustling around on the other side. “Ok, hear me out.”

“Oh no-”

“You’re not hearing me out, just, seriously, just one minute of your time.”

“Shoot.”

“Okay,” He sighs. “The first thing people tend to notice about someone new is what they’re wearing, or what they look like, right?”

Rey thinks for a moment. “I suppose, in some instances.”

“Okay, so lets say that it’s all the instances. For example,” Ben clears his throat. “The first thing I noticed about you were your hideously ugly green crocs.”

“Hey now,”

“Hang on Rey.” He says, and Rey closes her mouth with an eye roll. “Like I was saying. I made fun of them, because they were the first thing I noticed. Others, if they like crocs, might compliment them. Depending on the type of person they are, they’ll have different reactions to your horrendous choice of footwear-”

“C’mon man, stop dissing the crocs.”

He chuckles, and Rey can’t help the smile that forms. “Okay, I’m sorry.”

“It makes sense though,” She interjects suddenly. “What you were saying.”

“Oh!” She can envision his face lighting up. “Great, I’m glad...glad that made some sort of sense.”

“I still don’t get how this fits into our project.”

“Well,” he coughs, clearing his throat again. “Remember Dr. Organa said that our experiment was to _‘observe behavior of students on campus when confronted with an object that is seemingly neutral’,_ right?”

“So you want me to shove crocs in everyone's faces?” Rey jokes, although she was genuinely curious as to what the plan was. “That would work…” she trails off.

“No, no, Rey-” Ben laughs again, and Rey wonders if she’d be hearing it often. It was nice. “Imagine, crocs, in every situation, every circumstance, every type of weather-”

“People are already doing that! People have been doing that. It’s kinda a thing… y’know, like socks with sandals.”

“I mean _every situation._ You never take them off. Swimming, running, hiking, _sleeping_.”

Rey raises an eyebrow at that, and despite the fact that Ben can’t even see her, makes a face that would rival any that a toddler sucking on a lemon could make.

“We keep track of the different opinions and reactions people verbally give to you! We don’t count weird looks, stares-- just what people communicate to you directly.”

“What are we supposed to gain by doing that?”

“We figure out who says things, who doesn't; and with that, what kinds of things are certain people saying?”

Rey thinks to herself, and then nods. “Ok… can I add a thought?”

“Please.”

She giggles quietly. “You wear crocs too. We can see if experiences change based off gender and social class.”

Rey hears only static for a few moments, and despite her initial dislike of the guy, she worries she’s offended him with her suggestion.

Then, “Deal.”.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm struggling a little with the format for this chapter. Hopefully it's not too annoying. also, not gonna lie, I did not intend to reference crocs as much as I do in this fic. It started as a joke, and now I'm afraid its starting something... also, no offense to anyone who likes crocs! they look good on some people, i just make fun of them a lot:) you do you!! As always, thanks for reading! Stay safe guys.


	5. I hate shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter all about buying crocs...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to update, and even though this chapter is short, I feel like it sets up some important things for the chapters to come. I'm so excited for where this is going next, and I think some of you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Rey watches the open sign blink as she stands outside a shoe store just off campus. She glances at her phone as she rocks back and forth on her feet.  _ 9:30... how did he manage to get her to get up this early on a Sunday? _

She sighs and checks her messages while she waits. Then, she hears a short beep, and looks up to see a black car pulling up. She chuckles to herself as it parks. Of course it’s black. Ben climbs out, and Rey laughs, wondering how such a tall guy fit into such a small car. 

“That’s your car?” Was the first thing out of her mouth. After her initial reaction to the color, was her reaction to the model. Ben looks back at his vehicle as he steps onto the curb next to her, the gentle morning breeze rustling his curls. 

“Yeah, she’s a little old, but-”

“It’s cute!” Rey interrupts. “I like  _ Kias _ .”

Ben scoffs lightheartedly and crosses his arms. “If you’re going to make some kind of connection between my  _ black Soul  _ and my wardrobe, I would suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

“Hey,” Rey giggles. “My lips are sealed.”

“Great, now,” Ben opens the door to the shoe store and Rey follows him in. “Are there rules to the crocs I have to get?”

Rey shrugs as they make their way to the sandal section. “I haven’t decided. We should either make them totally outrageous or somewhat fitting.”

“Yay.” Ben says, sarcasm plastered all over his face. 

Rey grins as they reach the massive wall of multicolored crocs. There were tie dye ones, rainbow, studded, even glitter-covered ones. 

“Wow, I didn’t know there were these many crocs in the whole galaxy,” she says, reaching her hand out to grab the first pair that got her attention. 

“That’s knowledge I could have lived my whole life not knowing,” Ben sighs, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “And what a happy life it would’ve been.”

Rey rolls her eyes around and puts the crocs back on the shelf. “Well, you gonna stop being a party pooper and find a pair you like?”

He raises an eyebrow and chuckles, turning his head away from her. “We’re gonna be here a while, if you want me to find a pair I like.”

Rey sat on a metal bench on the endcap of an aisle. She crosses her arms stubbornly and glares toward Ben. “I have time.”

“Well, I don’t.”

“Oh yeah? What do you have to go do?” Rey asks. Ben shook his head, staring at the menacing wall of crocs again. “Ben? I’m seriously asking.”

He sighs, scratching the back of his head lazily. “I gotta go help my mom with some stuff at the house.”

Rey nods slowly. “Okay…” Her eyebrows draw closer together. “You don’t sound very happy about doing it.”

Ben glances back at her for a second, then just lifts one of his shoulders in a half-shrug. “You wouldn’t be either, if you had to do all the heavy lifting.”

_ At least I’d have a mom… _ She thinks.  _ I’d do all the lifting in the world. _

“But it doesn’t matter-”

“You don’t like your mom?” Rey interjects. Ben snaps his head back to her and for a second, Rey thinks he’s mad. Then, his features soften, and a slight smirk plays on his lips.

“No, that’s not it,” He admits. “I’ve just been trying to find my own way, and...it’s hard to do that with my mom.”

“What about your dad?”

The remnants of the smirk fall off his face. “He’s okay.”

“Oh.” Rey presses her lips together and looks down at her feet.  _ Hey, I know I’ve only known you for a few months, and I don’t even know your middle name yet, but hey....is your dad present in your life? Idiot.  _ She curses to herself.

“Sorry.” She offers, turning her embarrassed face toward the crocs. 

“It’s okay,” Ben replies, to her surprise. His eyes still fixated on the shoes, he laughs gently. “He’s why I have to help her with the house, actually. He’s coming to visit. They’re gonna try and… talk some stuff out.”

“Well,” Rey clears her throat awkwardly. “That sounds great.”

“Sorry,” It was Ben’s turn now. He takes a deep breath, and with the exhale, grabs his crocs. “I didn’t mean to dump that all on you.” He runs a hand over his face. “I should probably talk to a therapist.”

“Hey, no shame in that.” Rey adds, standing up from the bench. She stretches as Ben approaches.

“Yeah,” He chuckles. “There is in this, though…” He holds up the crocs, and Rey can barely hold in her disgusted expression. 

“Ben…” She pinches the hanger the crocs are on between her fingers, and holds it away from her like it’s toxic. 

“Zebra print?”

“The colors suit me, and the print just, you know-” He clicks his tongue and holds up jazz hands. “Adds that  _ wow  _ factor.”

Rey blinks. “Don’t ever say that again.”

Ben scoffs as they head to checkout. “You don’t need to worry about that.”


End file.
